Watch the live launch of a mission that could be the beginning of a new era of astronomy on the Moon.
A new mission to put a radio telescope and science instruments on the Moon launched in the early hours of 15 February.
US space company Intuitive Machines launched its Nova-C lunar lander on 15 February 2024, following a postponement of the initial launch the day before.
SpaceX, who are conducting the launch, said this was due to “off-nominal methane temperatures prior to stepping into methane load.”
Odysseus IM-1 mission
The lander, named Odysseus as part of the IM-1 mission, was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Odysseus lander is a hexagonal spacecraft just 4 metres tall about 1.5 metres wide, with 6 legs and the ability to carry 100kg of payload to the surface of the Moon.
It is expected to land on the Moon on 23 February and is carrying NASA science and technology instruments, which include the ability to carry out radio astronomy from the lunar surface.
It will also focus on plume interactions on the lunar surface and how space weather interacts with Moon dust.
The launch and landing is also seen as a test of lunar landing capabilities as NASA seeks to return humans and more uncrewed landers to the Moon throughout the Artemis programme.
The ROLSES (Radio-wave Observatory at the Lunar Surface of the Electron Sheath) instrument will be stationed on the near side of the Moon (the side of the Moon that always faces Earth).
While it will be able to carry out radio astronomy, it is also seen as a pathfinder experiment for future missions to put telescopes and observatories on the far side of the Moon, away from radio interference and affording an unobstructed view of the cosmos.
Find out more about the ROLSES telescope on the Moon.